1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to target shooting gaming devices of the type utilizing a light pulse emitting gun, pistol or similar device that includes a light detecting system for detecting light pulses emitted by the pistol and reflected by a reflective target or provided by the target itself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several light pulse emitting target games are known in the arcade art. Such games generally employ a pistol, rifle or other gun or the like which emits a pulse of light that is aimed by the player at a light reflective target. If the player's aim is accurate, the light pulse is reflected back from the target to a photocell or other photodetector located within the pistol, rifle or gun. An oscillator driving a loud speaker is coupled to the photodetector, and emits a tone indicative of a "hit" upon detection of the reflected light pulse in order to indicate that the player has scored a "hit".
While such prior art target devices do provide a great deal of amusement, the use of an oscillator and loud speaker to indicate the "hits" tends to increase the cost of the device, and the prior art devices do not contain any apparatus for conveniently counting the number of "hits" made by the player. In such prior art devices, the number of such "hits" is typically recorded manually, and such manual recording tends to reduce the enjoyment of the game and increases the possibility of error and cheating.